Met Market Comes To Sammamish

Seven years after Metropolitan Market opened its first Eastside location in Kirkland, the regional marketplace has expanded to a second Eastside location (seventh overall) in The Village at Sammamish.

Located at 301 228th Avenue Southeast, the 35,000-square foot store is the largest grocery store the chain has seen yet. It will serve shoppers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it will employ approximately 135 team members according to Metropolitan Market president and CEO, Todd Korman.

The store will feature the same mixture of well-known national brands and locally-sourced brands that customers have come to trust, coupled with Met Market’s popular standards like its poke bar, prime rib sandwich, farm fresh bulk eggs, and — of course — the famed “Cookie.” Like its predecessors, the Sammamish location also includes a kitchen shop, which essentially is a housewares department where shoppers can find anything they might need for entertaining, like dishes, linens, and utensils.

However, Korman said citizens of Sammamish can expect some new features, which he hopes will further extend Met Market’s commitment to fresh food and locally-sourced products.

The seafood department’s ice display is the largest the chain has seen, and Korman said it will come close to rivaling that of Pike Place Market’s fish mongers, measuring at 28 feet of ice.

Speaking of Pike Place, the produce department at Met Market has been designed to create a more open, farmers market-like feel, aided by the store’s 22-foot high ceiling and impossibly high mountains of vivid, fresh mangoes, apples, and oranges.

The floral department practically sits within the open produce area further adding to the bouquet of vivid colors and fragrant perfumes, which greet shoppers as they traverse the massive market. Shoppers can pick up cut flowers or hand-tied bouquets on a whim, or place special orders for a variety of occasions. “Our floral team can’t wait to make all the boutonnieres for the proms coming up for all the 3,500 high school students on this street,” Korman said.

Additionally, the Sammamish meat department will serve as the launch pad for Met Market’s first in-house dry-age beef program, which allows natural enzymes to break down the meats while allowing water to evaporate away thereby locking in the flavor.

Met Market leadership also hopes that the store will serve as a regional lunch destination with the addition of a second floor café seating area and made-to-order items available from the deli and prepared foods section.

In celebration of the grand opening, Metropolitan Market will host a special ceremony tomorrow at 9 a.m. The first 500 guests will receive a reusable grocery tote and a chance to find one of twenty $100 store gift cards hidden at random within the totes. Additionally, throughout grand opening week, guests will be treated to a variety of tastings, demos, and specials.

Ultimately, Korman said this store belongs to the people of Sammamish. “Many people in our company are calling this the shining star of our company; I truly believe that is what we have created,” Korman said.